Ancient Rome | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/ancient-rome/RSS feed for Ancient RomeenFri, 28 Aug 2026 18:43:43 +0000Deep Inside a Spanish Cave, Roman Women May Have Worshipped a Mysterious Goddesshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-inside-spanish-cave-roman-women-may-have-worshipped-mysterious-goddess-180989414/Best known for its Paleolithic art, Valencia’s Cova de les Dones also contains a Roman sanctuary where researchers say women appear to have played an active role in the worship of a female deityFri, 28 Aug 2026 18:43:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-inside-spanish-cave-roman-women-may-have-worshipped-mysterious-goddess-180989414/A Brittle Coating on a 2,200-Year-Old Roman Shipwreck Reveals How Ancient Sailors Kept Their Ships Afloathttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brittle-coating-on-2200-year-old-roman-shipwreck-revealing-how-ancient-soliders-kept-ships-afloat-180989394/Traces of pine tar and beeswax preserved on the vessel reveal the painstaking techniques shipbuilders millennia ago used to protect their ships from the briny deepWed, 26 Aug 2026 18:45:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brittle-coating-on-2200-year-old-roman-shipwreck-revealing-how-ancient-soliders-kept-ships-afloat-180989394/Construction in Austria Revealed a Roman-Era Mass Grave Beneath a Soccer Field. New Research Suggests That the Men's Enemies Targeted Their 'Sensitive Areas'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/construction-in-austria-revealed-roman-era-mass-grave-beneath-soccer-field-new-research-suggests-that-the-mens-enemies-targeted-their-sensitive-areas-180989372/No written records mention a fight in this specific part of Vienna at the time of the men's deaths. But the brutal nature of their injuries, particularly to the pelvis area, indicates that these individuals died on the battlefieldThu, 20 Aug 2026 15:06:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/construction-in-austria-revealed-roman-era-mass-grave-beneath-soccer-field-new-research-suggests-that-the-mens-enemies-targeted-their-sensitive-areas-180989372/You Can Now See One of the Oldest Surviving Copies of 'The Odyssey' at the Metropolitan Museum of Arthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-now-see-one-of-oldest-surviving-copies-of-the-odyssey-at-metropolitan-museum-of-art-180989360/The papyrus fragment contains three lines that don't appear in standard modern-day translations of Homer's epic poemWed, 19 Aug 2026 13:19:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/you-can-now-see-one-of-oldest-surviving-copies-of-the-odyssey-at-metropolitan-museum-of-art-180989360/Why Did the Ancient Romans Bury This Monumental Marble Statue Facedown? They Wanted to Repurpose It as a Paving Stonehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-the-ancient-romans-bury-this-monumental-marble-statue-face-down-they-wanted-to-repurpose-it-as-a-paving-stone-180989302/Archaeologists discovered the roughly 2,500-year-old sculpture of a young man while conducting excavations at Sardis in western Turkey. The artwork reflects the different cultures that wielded control over the city in the first millennium B.C.E.Mon, 10 Aug 2026 18:01:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-did-the-ancient-romans-bury-this-monumental-marble-statue-face-down-they-wanted-to-repurpose-it-as-a-paving-stone-180989302/This Marine-Life Mosaic Discovered Near the Colosseum Offers a Surprising Clue—Its Building May Have Housed Firefighters in Ancient Romehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-marine-life-mosaic-discovered-near-the-colosseum-offers-a-surprising-clue-its-building-may-have-housed-firefighters-in-ancient-rome-180989273/At the time of the structure's construction in the second century C.E., firefighting in ancient Rome was a formalized professionThu, 06 Aug 2026 19:51:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-marine-life-mosaic-discovered-near-the-colosseum-offers-a-surprising-clue-its-building-may-have-housed-firefighters-in-ancient-rome-180989273/A Metal Detectorist Discovered Tiny Tiles in a Farmer's Field. A Spectacular Ancient Roman Mosaic Was Buried Beneath the Surfacehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-metal-detectorist-discovered-tiny-tiles-in-a-farmers-field-a-spectacular-ancient-roman-mosaic-was-buried-beneath-the-surface-180989222/The polychrome mosaic once decorated a small room in a lavish villa complex. Researchers, students and volunteers have been working together to excavate the rare site in southwestern EnglandWed, 29 Jul 2026 17:27:45 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-metal-detectorist-discovered-tiny-tiles-in-a-farmers-field-a-spectacular-ancient-roman-mosaic-was-buried-beneath-the-surface-180989222/We All Know the Story of the Pompeii Victims Who Died When Mount Vesuvius Erupted 2,000 Years Ago. Archaeologists Are Still Learning About Those Who Made It Out Alivehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/we-all-know-the-story-of-the-pompeii-victims-who-died-when-mount-vesuvius-erupted-2000-years-ago-archaeologists-are-still-learning-about-those-who-made-it-out-alive-180989207/A semi-fictionalized documentary series hosted by actor Tom Hiddleston follows three people in the ancient towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum who experienced the disaster in 79 C.E.Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:41:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/we-all-know-the-story-of-the-pompeii-victims-who-died-when-mount-vesuvius-erupted-2000-years-ago-archaeologists-are-still-learning-about-those-who-made-it-out-alive-180989207/See a Rare Ceiling Fresco From Pompeii That Archaeologists Are Carefully Reassembling, Piece by Piece, Like an Ancient Puzzlehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-rare-ceiling-fresco-from-pompeii-that-archaeologists-are-carefully-reassembling-piece-by-piece-like-an-ancient-puzzle-180989209/Located in the banquet hall of a home with an adjoining bakery, the fresco shows the mythological romance of Dionysus, the god of revelry and wine, and Ariadne, the Cretan princessTue, 28 Jul 2026 14:19:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-rare-ceiling-fresco-from-pompeii-that-archaeologists-are-carefully-reassembling-piece-by-piece-like-an-ancient-puzzle-180989209/Their Names Were Lost to History. But Now, You Can See What Their Faces May Have Looked Like When They Lived in a Roman-Era City Nearly 2,000 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/their-names-were-lost-to-history-but-now-you-can-see-what-their-faces-may-have-looked-like-when-they-lived-in-a-roman-era-city-nearly-2000-years-ago-180989179/A new exhibition in Budapest features 16 facial reconstructions based on skulls excavated from the ancient city of Aquincum. Curators don't know the details of their lives, but they've invented backstories to fill in the gapsThu, 23 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/their-names-were-lost-to-history-but-now-you-can-see-what-their-faces-may-have-looked-like-when-they-lived-in-a-roman-era-city-nearly-2000-years-ago-180989179/Railway Construction Reveals a Coin Minted by a Roman Officer Who Proclaimed Himself 'Emperor of the North' in Britain 1,700 Years Agohttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/railway-construction-reveals-coin-minted-by-roman-officer-who-proclaimed-himself-emperor-of-the-north-in-britain-1700-years-ago-180989160/Archaeologists in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire unearthed a silver denarius bearing the name of Carausius, who ruled the breakaway state of Britannia between 286 and 293Mon, 20 Jul 2026 18:49:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/railway-construction-reveals-coin-minted-by-roman-officer-who-proclaimed-himself-emperor-of-the-north-in-britain-1700-years-ago-180989160/Ancient Egyptians Believed That These Newly Discovered Gold Tongues Allowed the Dead to Communicate in the Afterlifehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-egyptians-believed-that-these-newly-discovered-gold-tongues-allowed-the-dead-to-communicate-in-the-afterlife-180989127/Excavations at Marina el-Alamein, an archaeological site west of Alexandria, unearthed about two dozen of the rare artifacts, including one shaped like the Eye of HorusWed, 15 Jul 2026 17:31:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ancient-egyptians-believed-that-these-newly-discovered-gold-tongues-allowed-the-dead-to-communicate-in-the-afterlife-180989127/How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? A 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers New Clues About the Material's Impressive Durabilityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-has-roman-concrete-lasted-for-millennia-a-1900-year-old-latrine-offers-new-clues-about-the-materials-impressive-durability-180989115/A chemical process called carbonation, which helps seal cracks, could help explain why many ancient Roman structures are still standing today. Researchers hope that the insights will lead to better modern-day building materialsTue, 14 Jul 2026 15:54:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-has-roman-concrete-lasted-for-millennia-a-1900-year-old-latrine-offers-new-clues-about-the-materials-impressive-durability-180989115/Ancient Romans Put Their Faith in Guardian Spirits. Archaeologists Just Found a Rare 1,600-Year-Old Carving of One in Northern Englandhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/romans-put-their-faith-in-guardian-spirits-archaeologists-just-found-a-rare-1600-year-old-carving-of-one-in-northern-england-180989118/Known as a “genius,” the protective spirit or deity was believed to bring good fortune and prosperity to a particular person, household or place. Archaeologists haven't found many depictions of them across Roman BritainTue, 14 Jul 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/romans-put-their-faith-in-guardian-spirits-archaeologists-just-found-a-rare-1600-year-old-carving-of-one-in-northern-england-180989118/See Artifacts That Archaeologists Discovered in This 1,600-Year-Old Byzantine Christian Town Buried in an Oasis in Egypthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-artifacts-that-archaeologists-discovered-in-this-1600-year-old-byzantine-christian-town-buried-in-an-oasis-in-egypt-180989106/The mud-brick village boasts streets, towers and a large church. Researchers unearthed everyday objects like grain grinders, an oven and some 200 ostraca—ancient receipts and notes written on broken potteryFri, 10 Jul 2026 20:07:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-artifacts-that-archaeologists-discovered-in-this-1600-year-old-byzantine-christian-town-buried-in-an-oasis-in-egypt-180989106/Take an Exclusive Look at Three Newly Discovered Medieval Shipwrecks in Menorca's 'Cove of Mysteries'https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/take-an-exclusive-look-at-three-newly-discovered-medieval-shipwrecks-in-menorcas-cove-of-mysteries-180989092/Meteorological tsunamis likely sank the 13th-century trading vessels, whose cargo included objects from both Christian kingdoms and Moorish communities on the Iberian PeninsulaThu, 09 Jul 2026 12:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/take-an-exclusive-look-at-three-newly-discovered-medieval-shipwrecks-in-menorcas-cove-of-mysteries-180989092/